Apr 3 2010
Kent Displays announced today a $1 Million award from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission's Advanced Materials Program.
The award will be used to develop and advance display materials for flexible liquid crystal films. The advancements of these materials will result in improved performance across the Reflex™ flexible LCD product line. The program will be managed and executed at the company's headquarters in Kent over the next two years.
Kent Displays' program collaborators include Akron Polymer Systems, a globally-recognized polymer and materials company, as well as Kent State University, a leading research institution in liquid crystal technology.
This project represents a highly concentrated and coordinated effort to develop materials specifically engineered for the four Reflex flexible LCD product lines: writing tablets (including the Boogie Board™ LCD writing tablet), electronics skins, eCard displays, and eMedia. The benefits of highly engineered materials specifically developed for Reflex flexible LCDs include lower drive voltages and improved temperature/color performance, brightness, contrast and color gamut. These enhancements will significantly impact the marketability and sustainability of the four product lines.
Kent Displays CEO Dr. Albert Green stated, "Funding from Ohio Third Frontier has helped Kent Displays make significant advances in flexible LCD performance and manufacturing. Ohio Third Frontier has also been instrumental in creating a critical mass of technical talent to facilitate creation of a new and solid foundation for Ohio's economic future and put Kent Displays, the state, and even the United States on the global map in this large and growing flexible LCD industry."